Uncharted Territories: First report of Euwallacea fornicatus (Eichhoff) in South America with new reproductive hosts records

Abstract

We report the presence of the invasive ambrosia beetle, Euwallacea fornicatus (Eichhoff, 1868), for the first time in South America. The identity is established by morphological and molecular methods, although the sequences suggest that it represents a separate haplotype from the populations that have caused significant damage in South Africa, Israel, and California, and is most phylogenetically similar to specimens from Asia and greenhouses in Europe. This pest is one of the most successful invaders, causing high economic and ecological impacts in the regions where it is introduced. Our records are from the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, one of the most populated and largest port cities in South America, where attacks by this beetle are present on a wide range of living street trees. The large number of trees attacked and the new records of reproductive host species suggest that the beetle is already established and widespread in the city's urban forest. This context implies that the beetle may pose a threat to the urban and natural environment, as well as to the forests and fruit production of the region.